The funeral of Pope Francis will take place within nine days.
This was reported with reference to a statement from the Vatican, Ukrinform reports.
Points of attention
- The funeral of Pope Francis will take place in Rome within nine days, with the pontiff being buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, marking a departure from the Vatican burial tradition.
- Changes to the papal funeral procedure approved by Pope Francis include simplification and the abolition of certain traditions, such as displaying the body on a raised platform for public viewing.
- The succession process to elect the next pope will commence with a conclave within a month following the funeral.
Pope Francis to be buried in Rome
It is noted that the funeral of Pope Francis will take place within nine days, and the conclave to elect his successor will take place within a month.
The BBC reports that Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four main papal basilicas in Rome. He will be the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
The pontiff had previously approved plans to simplify the papal funeral, including placing the body in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc, instead of the three nested coffins of cypress, lead and oak that previous pontiffs were buried in.
Francis also abolished the tradition of displaying the Pope's body on a raised platform in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. Instead, people will pay their respects while the body remains in its coffin with the lid open.
In Rome, a security plan was put into effect on April 21 in connection with the death of the Pope.
After a telephone conversation between the prefect and the police chief of the Italian capital, the plan began to take effect — contingents of police forces gathered in the area of St. Peter's Square.
The Prefect of Rome urgently convened the Provincial Public Order Committee at 11:30 a.m. local time.
